This invention relates to microwave ovens provided with rotary receptacles therein.
With the spread of microwave ovens, rotary equipment for cooking various foods have been used increasingly. As a typical example of such rotary equipment, a rotisserie arrangement may include a spit supported by the sidewalls and actuated by a chain connected to a motor. However, the rotary equipment of this type can be used only with certain types of food which are conducive to being skewered, such as chicken.
Accordingly, the object of this invention is to provide a rotary receptacle in an oven for cooking the various foods which cannot be skewered.
The present invention is a rotary receptacle for use in a microwave oven including a plastic housing in which food may be inserted, with projections therein to mix the food within the housing as the receptacle turns. The axes of the receptacle, which are connected to the driving mechanism, may be offset from the longitudinal axis of the housing to produce a tumbling effect. The housing may be made of transparent plastic. Alternatively it may be constructed of an open wire mesh.
The receptacle may be rotated either at one of several constant speeds or intermittently. With the wire mesh housing a switch may be provided to disable the microwave generator when the wire mesh housing is inserted. In fact, the support axes of the wire mesh and clear plastic housings may be made differently so that the microwave generator will be disabled only when the wire mesh housing is employed.